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Federal Environment Minister Svenja Schulze thinks the German climate targets are too small
Photo: Kay Nietfeld / dpa
The pressure on the federal government for higher climate targets by 2030 is growing. Federal Environment Minister Svenja Schulze has reiterated her demand to reduce CO2 emissions in Germany by 65 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.
After the tightening of the EU's climate target, it was clear that the German contribution could no longer be at least 55 percent as before, said Schulze at the end of the two-day conference of environment ministers of the federal states on Friday.
The expert commission expects something between 62 and 68 percent.
"It will all move on this scale," said the SPD politician.
The European Union finally agreed on its climate target for 2030 on Wednesday: by then, EU emissions should be at least 55 percent below the 1990 level.
So far, the target has been minus 40 percent.
The environment ministers of the federal states also called on the federal government to tighten the climate protection target for 2030.
A corresponding application from Schleswig-Holstein, Hesse and Thuringia was accepted on Friday at the online environment ministers' conference chaired by Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, as Schleswig-Holstein's head of department Jan Philipp Albrecht (Greens) announced.
Schulze said: “I agree with the federal states that the higher EU climate target must lead to more renewable energies in our country than previously planned.
We have to get faster in expanding wind and solar energy this decade. ”More wind and solar power are required for electric cars, heat pumps or the production of green hydrogen for industry.
The coalition in Berlin agreed on Thursday that there should be additional tendering volumes of 1.1 gigawatts for onshore wind energy and 4.1 gigawatts for photovoltaics in 2022.
In addition, approval procedures in the Federal Immission Control Act are to be made easier.
This is an important step, said Schulze on Friday.
"But this must be followed by a significantly increased expansion path for the rest of the decade," she demanded.
Its goal is for Germany to be supplied entirely from renewable energies from 2040 onwards.
"A lot more has to happen now."
Disagreement on the subject of wolf
The environment ministers also spoke out in favor of a joint effort with the federal government to finance nature conservation.
Based on the model of joint tasks for coastal protection or for regional economic development, there should be a joint task for nature conservation in the future.
One billion euros is under discussion.
So far, nature conservation is expressly a state matter, in future it should be a joint project according to the will of the state ministers.
Dealing with the wolf remains controversial.
The ministerial group could not agree on a nationwide practical guide for the authorities to shoot down problem wolves.
Since an amendment in February, the Federal Nature Conservation Act has made it possible to kill wolves that kill farm animals.
However, it is controversial when exactly a wolf can be considered a problem wolf.
So far, every case ends up in court or the public prosecutor investigates, said Till Backhaus, Agriculture Minister of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
The decisions of the authorities must be legally secure, which is why the practical guide is so important, according to the SPD politician.
svs / dpa
